I. Definitions

The terms used in this policy shall be defined as such terms are defined in State Board of Education Rule 160-5-1-.28 Student Enrollment and Withdrawal (“state enrollment rule”) or applicable state or federal law or regulation.

II. Age Eligibility for Enrollment – Other than students specifically exempted by law or rule, the following individuals are eligible for enrollment in the Toombs County School System:

1. Students who have attained the age of five by September 1, unless they attain the age of 21 by September 1 or they have received a high school diploma or the equivalent, provided they have not dropped out of school for one quarter or more as prescribed in O.C.G.A. § 20-2-150. Students who have dropped out of school
   for one quarter or more are eligible to enroll unless they attain the age of 20 by September 1.

2. Special education students with IEPs may attend through the age of 21 or until they receive a regular high school diploma.

3. Students who were legal residents of one or more other states or countries for a period of two years immediately prior to moving to Georgia and were legally enrolled in an accredited public kindergarten or first grade may be enrolled if they will attain the age of five for kindergarten or six for first grade by December 31 and are otherwise eligible for enrollment.

III. Authorization to Enroll Eligible Students

1. The student’s parent, legal guardian, or other person enrolling the student under the provisions of O.C.G.A. § 20-2-690.1 (or the student in the case of an emancipated minor) must be a resident of the school district.

2. A kinship caregiver with a properly executed kinship caregiver affidavit may enroll a child not in the custody of a state agency and serve as the school’s point of contact for the child regarding activities for which parental consent is usually required, such as the receipt of educational services; the receipt of medical services directly related to enrollment; participation in extracurricular activities; and, matters related to educational progress, discipline, and truancy; for as long as such affidavit is valid. The affidavit shall not be valid for more than one school year after the date on which it is executed. The Superintendent or designee is authorized to require a new kinship caregiver affidavit at the beginning of each school year.

3. A non-custodial parent or registering person acting in loco parentis under the authority of a power of attorney properly executed by a parent or guardian serving in the military shall be allowed to enroll a transitioning military child and perform all other actions requiring parental participation and consent. Children of transitioning military families shall be enrolled and placed in accordance with the requirements specified in the state enrollment rule.

4. A grandparent who resides in the school district and who presents a properly executed power of attorney for a minor child may enroll such grandchild, without court approval, if the specific conditions set forth in state law, as it existed before September 1, 2018 are met. The grandparent empowered to enroll the child shall have the same rights, duties, and responsibilities that would otherwise be exercised by the parent, except where limited by the executed power of attorney or federal law.

5. An adult who resides in the school district, and to whom the parent has delegated caregiving authority, and who is the child’s grandparent, great-grandparent, step-grandparent, stepparent, former stepparent, aunt or great aunt, uncle or great uncle, cousin or sibling, or a non-relative who is approved by as an agent by a child-placing agency or a nonprofit entity or faith based organization, may enroll such child and have the rights, duties, and responsibilities that would otherwise be exercised by the parent under state law, except that the delegating parent shall continue to have the right to receive the child’s educational records. The enrolling adult must present a properly executed Form for Power of Attorney to Delegate the Power and Authority for the Care of a Child signed under oath before a notary public by the parent and the agent accepting such delegation and filed in the probate court of the county in which the child resides. Such powers of attorney may be granted for a period not to exceed one year, except that those granted to grandparents may have unlimited duration and those granted by military parents may not exceed the period of deployment plus thirty days.

6. Homeless children and unaccompanied youth, as defined in the state enrollment rule and the McKinney-Vento Act, shall be enrolled immediately with the assistance of the district’s homeless liaison, as needed, and placed in accordance with the requirements specified in the state enrollment rule.

7. Students in the physical or legal custody of the Department of Human Services (DHS), the Department of Juvenile Justice (DJJ), or the Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities (DBHDD) and students placed by DHS, DJJ, or DBHDD in a residential facility within the school system shall be enrolled immediately in accordance with provisions specified in the state enrollment rule.

8. The school system is not responsible for making determinations regarding students’ immigration and visa status. Immigrants, non-visa-holders, and non-immigrant, foreign students on various visas who meet age and residency requirements will be enrolled in accordance with the provisions specified in the state enrollment rule.

IV. Required Enrollment Documentation

1. Age Verification - The school system requires evidence of the student’s date of birth and accepts as evidence a certified copy of a birth certificate, a certified hospital issued birth record or an alternate document from the prioritized list in the state enrollment rule.

2. Immunization Certificate – The school system requires proof of immunization as required by O.C.G.A. § 20-2-771, which includes an exemption for religious grounds.

3. Nutritional Screening and Eye, Ear and Dental Exam Certificate - The school system complies with the provisions of O.C.G.A. § 20-2-770 concerning nutritional screening and eye, ear, and dental examinations of students entering the first grade or at other times as public health rules may require.

4. Social Security Number - The school system complies with the provisions of O.C.G.A. § 20-2-150, which requires a person enrolling the student to provide a copy of the student’s social security number or to sign a form stating that the person does not wish to provide the social security number.

5. Academic and/or Transfer Records, if applicable – Student enrollment and placement decisions are based on performance in previous schools or programs. A transferring

   student in a grade higher than the sixth grade must present a certified copy of his or her academic transcript and disciplinary record from the school previously attended.

6. Documentation for Homeless Students - Homeless students, as defined by the McKinney-Vento Act, shall be enrolled immediately with full participation in school activities, regardless of whether required documentation can be provided at the time of enrollment. The designated employee responsible for care of homeless students shall assist the person enrolling the homeless student or the unaccompanied youth in acquiring the necessary documents for enrollment in accordance with the requirements of the state enrollment rule and the Act.

7. Proof of Residence shall be required in accordance with procedures or regulations developed by the Superintendent or designee. 

   The authorized person enrolling a child for school must produce one of these acceptable proofs of residency: 

   • A current, acceptable type of utility bill that is less than 60 days old and lists residence as the service address. Acceptable types of utility bills are electric, gas, water, cable television or landline telephone/Internet bills. Cellular telephone bills and driver’s licenses are not acceptable proofs of residency.

   • Current lease, with rent receipt or proof of deposit paid within the last 60 days

   • Letter from shelter

   • Letter from employer if employer provides housing

   • Letter from hotel, motel, or RV park

   If a student’s family is living with someone else, parents/guardians should provide a notarized affidavit from the property owner stating where the child’s family is residing, plus a copy of the property owner’s proof of residency.

   • Notarized Residency Affidavit - includes signature of person with whom family lives

   • Proof of residency for person with whom family lives (see items listed above)